Cuts in benefits for young people are putting them at greater risk of becoming homeless, according to a new survey.
The campaign group Homeless Link asked 117 homeless charities and 101 local authority housing services to give their assessment of how benefit changes are affecting young people.
Local authorities in London are preparing to send thousands of homeless families to live in temporary homes outside the capital, according to a survey conducted by the Guardian newspaper. This would be in defiance of official guidance that people should continue to be housed locally.
Out of the 33 London local authorities contacted by the newspaper, 17 said they were already placing homeless families outside the capital, or had secured or were considering temporary accommodation outside London for future use. Councils have acquired rental properties as far away as Northampton, and are considering accommodation in places such as Manchester, Hull and south Wales.
The councils reportedly say the move is inevitable because there is virtually no suitable private rented temporary accommodation for larger families in London that is affordable within government-imposed housing benefit allowances, which are capped at £400 a week.
The government's proposed reform of the benefits system threatens the financial well-being of a significant number of social housing tenants, according to a new report. The report looks at the potential effect of the new universal credit system, and the associated moves to (a) monthly benefit payment rather than weekly, and (b) payment of housing benefit direct to tenants rather than landlords.